Sauna and pool area in the basement of a private house built in the late sixties was completely renovated. The space with quite low ceiling height was made to feel more spacious thanks to the well-designed lighting and the thoughtful installation of the surface materials.

The original basement sauna and swimming pool had a lot of potential, but being in their original state, they required complete renovation and careful planning. The owner preferred the medium-brown, Hemlock-veneered Taive benches. And the harmonious design was completed with matching dressing room furniture, ceiling panels and Cariitti lighting in all the rooms.

The challenges of an old house
The detached house is multi-storey and the sauna facilities are mainly located underground. When the basement is surrounded by soil, it is advisable to take precautions inside the house to ensure good indoor air. A gap has been left behind the panelled walls to allow air to circulate, and the new surface materials do not accidentally get moisture from the concrete construction. This in turn reduces room space and must be considered when making the final interior plans.

Other factors influencing the design were the elongated shape of the sauna. The initial wish of the owner was to have opposite benches in the sauna room. However, the layout was changed into U-shape, as it made the space look larger. The direction of the wall panelling was also crucial: when the panels are normally installed horizontally, they were now installed vertically, resulting in a much more spacious-feeling sauna.

Lighting plays a significant role
The lighting designed and supplied by Cariitti consists of several elements and layers. Indirect lighting was used on the ceiling edge of the shower room, behind the back rests and under the benches in the sauna, in the shower niche and behind the furniture in the dressing room, as its beam is glare-free and it illuminates downwards along the wall surface. In addition, LED downlights were installed on the ceiling of the shower and dressing rooms In the pool area, impressive colour-changing Cariitti Huuhto Easy RGBW LED profiles were installed between panelling. A total of 40 metres was installed over the nine-metre pool.

Carefully selected materials, skillful design and lighting make the atmosphere of this private spa special. The architectural design of TAIVE benches attracts to relax in a comfortably lit space. Not to mention practicality! Now, inside the new dressing room furniture, there is plenty of storage space for towels and other sauna textiles.

Cariitti is a family-owned company whose mission is to brings light and comfort to all spaces. The selection includes both fibre and LED lighting solutions, and also sauna benches and dressing room furniture made in company´s own factory in Finland. The products are exported to over 40 countries worldwide, and the client spectrum is wide from distributors to contractors and sauna & spa builders; products are being used in public saunas and spas as well in private ones.

Cariitti products used in this project:
• The sauna benches are from Cariitti´s TAIVE collection in Hemlock veneer. The veneer surface is easy to keep clean. The benches are modular, which makes them easy to install, and floor cleaning is also convenient. The matching wall and ceiling panels of the sauna were also supplied by Cariitti. Indirect lighting in the sauna is built with Cariitti´s Sauna Linear LED luminaires.

• Cariitti Huuhto Easy RGBW profiles were used as lighting in the pool area, where the colour of the light can be changed as needed.

• Indirect lighting in the shower room is made with Cariitti Huuhto Easy LED profiles.

• Cariitti Huuhto Easy LED Profiles were integrated into the dressing room furniture.

Lapland Hotels Bulevardi, a hotel in the centre of Helsinki, exuding the authentic mystique of Lapland, trusted Cariitti for its sauna and bathroom lighting selections. The atmosphere of Lapland now lives in every room thanks to the right lighting and comprehensive design. Leena Turunen, regional director of Lapland Hotels Oy, tells about the hotel and cooperation with Cariitti.

The hotel chain, which has been operating for more than 50 years, has its roots in Muonio, Lapland.

Nearly 10 years ago, the idea arose that Lapland's mysticism should also be brought to urban destinations and further south, Leena Turunen says about the expansion of the hotel chain. Nowadays, the chain also has hotels in Tampere, Oulu and Kuopio, as well as in the centre of Helsinki. 

The atmosphere of Lapland has been brought to Helsinki Bulevardi

At the centre of the hotel's operations are the product, service and milieu, while the goal is a comprehensive hotel experience, and bringing the sensitive experience of Lapland with all its seasons to the city centre.

When creating the concept, all senses are in focus - how things look and feel. That's why lighting is a really important factor, because it creates different moods for the customer.

In Cariitti's showroom, the representatives of Lapland Hotels Bulevardi were able to experience the possibilities of lighting

Architects, interior designers, contractors and others involved in the project worked for more than two years to complete the entire hotel complex, including lighting.

The hotel's representatives visited Cariitti's showroom in Espoo together with the architects. The showroom is an entity built for customers to experience, where the visitor experiences the possibilities of Finnish sauna and lighting in an impressive way. Cariitti's showroom includes various sauna and bathroom facilities, as well as unique, modern design sauna interior furniture and an amazing world of light. Crystals, earthiness, Northern Lights and technology -the number of different lights and their variations is staggering.

Cariitti illuminates the sauna, bathroom and shop-in-room facilities of Lapland Hotels Bulevardi

Cariitti lighting has been used in the sauna and bathrooms of all 182 rooms of Lapland Hotels Bulevardi. Lights can be found in the sauna and bathrooms, as well as in the wonderful shop-in-room space, which is illuminated by a golden cube, SY SQ Gold.

The cube illuminates the hotel's minibar and its surrounding area in a sparkling way - the customer can make a drink under the lighting of the golden cube and stop to enjoy the magical atmosphere of the room.

Nature also brings unique light to the rooms: the rooms of the Bulevardi Hotel have a glass wall between the room itself and the bathroom. This puts lighting in a really important position. The atmosphere in the hotel room and bathroom plays a significant role.

"We needed a modern lighting supplier that can offer products that fit the light control system. The system had to be easy to use for the customer. The customers must be able to choose the atmosphere they want at the push of a button. Cariitti's lighting fulfilled our wishes and requirements."

Leena Turunen